A MEMBER of the Citizens Peace Council, a group organized to help push for the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), said Filipinos should look at BBL as a legal and political document and not on the basis of one tragic incident like the Mamasapano encounter.
Professor Moner Bajunaid, who spoke at the BBL forum held at the Social Hall of the Provincial Capitol in Bacolod City yesterday, said the BBL is a legal document because this will give autonomy to the people of Mindanao particularly the Bangsamoro people, and a political one for it will address their long-standing struggle and clamor for social justice.
Bajunaid said the Mamasapano incident greatly affected the talks about creating BBL adding that “seemingly, most people believe that BBL was born out of Mamasapano.”
“The issue of Bangsamoro did not start when the Mamasapano encounter happened so the latter should be tackled in different forum,” he said.
Bajunaid added that part of their continuing efforts to make Filipinos fully understand the concept of BBL is conducting simultaneous forums in different provinces.
He added that former Supreme Court Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr., one of the core members of the Council, was supposed to be the guest of honor at the forum in Bacolod, but he had prior commitment in Cebu.
The forum was attended by leaders and representatives from different sectors like labor, academe, and government.
Bajunaid said the main objective of the forum is not only merely asking for support for the law to be passed but on top of it, “to discuss BBL objectively and in proper perspective including some of its provision that might be contentious.”